Having decided to make his own wine rather than sell to a négociant (merchant), Philippe Serey-Eiffel, great great grandson of the engineer of the Eiffel tower, set about it with meticulous attention to detail, as befits his original profession – engineering. This tiny appellation was created in 1931 at the behest of Philippe’s great grandfather and it warrants being singled out from the Bordeaux Supérieur appellation which it could also bear. This is a gravelly enclave with deposits from the Dordogne and Isle rivers – a very particular soil profile and markedly different from the rest of the Entre-Deux-Mers. The mass of the river also impacts on the micro-climate. This is a very elegant fine style of winemaking with an emphasis on balance. The emphasis on quality is marked throughout here. Bel-Air is one of the rare properties which respects traditional balance between the varietals. This is an expensive but quality- led decision as Cabernet is lower yielding. Since 2021, the property is being managed by long time friend, Yves Glotin (from Château La Fleur des Graves) and Jean-Philippe Janoueix.